This summer I had my daughter helping out in the kitchen a bit. Although, not as much as we had anticipated, but we did build upon her skills and she has been moved up to sous chef and my son will be learning the prep chef role this Fall. One of the big things I wanted her helped with was truly prepping dishes and preparing some dishes that she doesn’t entirely care for. A lot of meals that are easy, go to weeknight meals she wont eat. The funniest of them all is any kind of baked pasta dish. She loves pasta and will eat it any chance she can get. She eats marinara sauce on pizza, but not pasta. She likes all cheeses and she eats ground beef in hamburgers. So, it was time to show her the ingredients that she knows and have her assemble the meal. No more talking about it, she was going to do it. And, it was so easy. While she assembled the dish, I set the table and prepped the salad, her normal job. She thought it was a lot of fun to change roles for the evening.

Now, I will go ahead and mention that I browned the beef and I boiled the pasta. She is six and she isn’t quite ready to man the stove top just yet. But once those were done she did everything else besides taking it in and out of the oven. If you want to make this dish even easier, go ahead and grab some store-bought sauce. The whole point of this meal is to get that great lasagna taste that you love, while not making a big fuss about it!

Disclaimer, poor iPhone picture but when we make this meal it’s all about enjoying it and getting to the fun stuff. Every time. So, I decided to just go ahead and share it with you!

We haven’t done much in the way of baking new things this summer. My idea of a quiet summer hanging around the house with the kids has not been realized. The only days we don’t have something planed we are using as re-coop days. Two weeks ago I decided to get into the kitchen and create. While a few were created on the spot, these cookies were made with purpose. Ever since I had heard of them I knew I just had to have them. I also had a good opportunity to send most to work with my husband so my willpower wouldn’t be tested too much!

The beauty of these cookies is that they were created by using bits of this and that around the kitchen. Kind of a “everything but the kitchen sink” idea, hence the name “Compost Cookies.” My daughter thinks the name sounds disgusting so she calls them “the most amazing, super-duper cookies ever.” So, feel free to call them that as well because they are! The flavors in these cookies don’t compete, not get lost. Some how it’s a perfect balance. I love the slight coffee flavor, and the saltiness and then the butterscotch with the chocolate and chips. Oh my! I love a good cookie dough, but this was the most amazing dough ever. I could have eaten the whole batch without even baking them. Yeah, yeah salmonella, but I’m a daredevil that way.

Whether you want divine cookies for yourself or want to make something to impress, go ahead and make up a batch of these. While you’re at it, go ahead and make up a few batches since you’ll have ingredients to spare and they freeze nicely!

Compost Cookies

Ingredients

For the graham crust:

10 t0 12 graham crackers (enough to make 1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup milk powder

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

3/4 tsp salt

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup heavy cream

For the cookies:

16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed

2 Tbsp glucose (can substitute with 1 tablespoon corn syrup)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup mini butterscotch chips

1/4 recipe graham crust (recipe below)

1/3 cup old-fashioned oats

2 1/2 tsp ground coffee (NOT instant coffee)

2 cups potato chips (kettle chips work best)

1 cup mini pretzels

To make the graham crust:

In a food processor, process graham crackers. Transfer to a medium bowl and add milk powder, sugar, and salt.

In a small bowl, mix melted butter and heavy cream. Add to graham cracker mixture and mix until combined. Use 1/4 of the recipe for the cookies and refrigerate rest for later (a pie or some more cookies).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugars, and glucose together on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat for 7 to 8 minutes.

Reducing the speed to low, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined. Then add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham crust, oats, and coffee. Mix until just combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and scoop out cookie dough using a cookie scoop or 1/3 measuring cup. Gently flatten the tops of each mound. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Place cookies 4-inches apart and bake for 18 minutes. Cookies should be slightly brown at the edges but have yellow centers. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for 1 month.

Last week I turned another year older which really meant that we had a reason to have cake and I got to eat whatever I wanted for dinner! I’m a big fan of ice cream and ice cream cakes. I’ve had this ice cream cake since I was little for most of my birthdays. This year I wanted to change it up a it and I found a delicious and easy frozen dessert that will probably become a go to dessert when needed. You could even simplify this even more but purchasing a pre-made Oreo crust. We made the kid-friendly version of this dessert, but I’m sure the adult version would be extra tasty as well. This didn’t last long in our house. It was devoured pretty quickly which is a good thing because

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cranberry juice and cornstarch; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in the remaining cherries. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened and cherries are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; if desired, stir in liqueur. Cool completely.

If you are growing zucchini then you have probably run the gamut in ways to use it all up. Everything from zoodles (spiralized zucchini), zucchini bread, zucchini cookies, and a ton of different side dishes. My mom introduced me to zucchini relish last year when she gave me a jar as a gift. There’s nothing better than relish on a hot dog, but I was a bit hesitant, until we opened it up and had a taste. It was delicious. Now, obviously the recipe plays a key factor in the taste, but what I really loved was just how well the zucchini worked. I honestly felt like it was better than cucumbers. Where has this been my whole life? The zucchini itself is mild, but it holds up to cooking and maintains a nice texture without getting mushy. It also really absorbs the flavors well.

So, now I’ve realized another great use for this garden workhorse and I couldn’t be happier! This recipe was too sweet for my liking at first, so I cut the sugar down. You can tweak it a bit as you go, but even if you like really sweet things like me, the original recipe was truly too in my opinion. I also prefer to dice everything up rather than shred. It takes a few extra minutes, but you get a product that you are used to eating rather than a pickled, sauerkraut type texture. The recipe can easily be doubled, but when I try a new recipe for canning, I like to go small first. Hope you enjoy! Let me know your favorite ways to use zucchini below!

Sweet Zucchini Relish

Ingredients

6 cups finely diced zucchini (peeled or unpeeled)

2 cups finely chopped onion

2 1/2 Tbsp canning salt

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups white vinegar

1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Heaping 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Heaping 1/4 tsp ground turmeric

3/4 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place the zucchini, onion, and salt in a large non-metallic bowl. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.

Drain the zucchini in a colander and rinse well with cold water. Squeeze out excess water and set aside on a towel or paper towels.

In a large pot, stir in remaining ingredients and add zucchini. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, sterilize jars and get your canner ready.

Add relish to jars, making sure to eliminate air pockets. Fill jars to 1/2-inch from top. Process jars for 15 minutes.